HARARE - Anglicans from Harare will next Sunday hold prayers at Africa Unity Square in central Harare to press the police to allow the church access to its halls and buildings across the capital. (Pictured: Nolbert Kunonga Excommunicated)
The open prayer session, to which President Robert Mugabea catholic — has also been invited, comes after months of a tense and sometimes violent struggle for control of the church between excommunicated archbishop Nolbert Kunonga and Archbishop Chad Gandiya, appointed last year by the Church of the Province of Central Africa (CPCA) to run the Harare Anglican diocese. The CPCA is the supreme authority of Anglican church in the region. But Kunonga has defied its orders to surrender church property, while Gandiya and his followers say the police have sided with the renegade bishop and assisted him to seize control of church prayer halls and buildings in violation of several court orders.
“The church resolved to hold the open prayer to force the police to abide by the court ruling,” a church warden announced last Sunday. “The President (Mugabe) has been invited and his is aware. Initially it was felt that we hold a protest march, but this was later shelved as the diocese opted for an open prayer session.” The Harare city council has already given permission to the church to hold the prayer meeting which will be attended by all members of the Anglican church from the capital. However police are yet to respond to the church’s request to hold the open prayer session.
The protest prayer comes after co-Home Affairs minister, Giles Mutseyekwa announced that he was planning to meet Harare police commanders to discuss the Anglican issue. A High Court judge ordered Gandiya, Kunonga and their followers to share use of church buildings for prayers. But Kunongas group is accused of locking up church doors every Sunday to prevent their rivals from entering the buildings to hold prayers, while the police have been on hand to chase away Gandiyas followers every time they tried to insist on their right to use the churches. The Harare Anglican church has been in turmoil ever since the CPCA first suspended Kunonga as bishop of Harare and later excommunicated him from the church a move he has refused to accept while he has also held onto church properties.
Kunonga was excommunicated in 2008 after trying to withdraw the Harare diocese from the Anglican church. He claims he revolted against the mother church because it supported the ordination of gay priests. A staunch supporter of Mugabe who tried to use the pulpit to defend the Zimbabwean leaders controversial policies, Kunonga was excommunicated together with several priests and other church leaders who backed his revolt against the CPCA. The CPCA appointed retired Bishop Sebastian Bakare as caretaker head of the Harare diocese before he was succeeded by Gandiya.
Post published in: News